Is That Really Their Voice? Preparing for AI Voice and Deepfake Fraud

(Lead) A voice on the phone that sounds exactly like family, or a face on a video call that looks exactly like your boss, is no longer proof of who you are talking to. Voice cloning from short samples is now common, and police have released scam footage in which the "officer's" face is suspected to have been generated or altered by AI. This guide is not about the technology — it is the set of confirmation rules that still work.

A voice or a face is no longer evidence

Fraud has moved from phone calls to messaging apps and video calls. According to the National Police Agency, "fake police" scams reached 11,014 reported cases in 2025 (39.6% of all special fraud) with losses of JPY 100.5 billion (70.6%). Scammers have spoofed the caller ID of real police headquarters numbers, so even a genuine-looking number proves nothing.

What real police officers never do

The National Police Agency publishes this test. Real officers never:

• Tell you by phone that you are under investigation
• Contact you through messaging apps
• Send images of a police ID or an arrest warrant
• Suddenly video-call your personal smartphone

If any one of these happens, it is fraud — no matter how real the voice or face seems. Hang up, do not call back the number they gave you, and consult your nearest police station in person or call the police consultation line .

Protecting your family: a code word and a call-back rule

• Agree on one family code word. Any phone call about money starts by asking for it
• The more urgent and secretive the request ("right now", "tell no one"), the more important it is to hang up and call back on the number you already have saved
• For elderly family members, write these two rules on paper and keep them by the phone

Protecting your company: one more confirmation before transfers

• Never execute a transfer on the strength of a voice or video call alone. Confirm through a second channel — a call to a registered number, or in person
• Decide the transfer procedure and approvers in writing, in normal times. Urgency does not skip the procedure
• Share suspicious instructions inside the company before acting on them

Summary: today's checklist

• Shared with family: police never discuss investigations or transfers by phone
• Decided a family code word
• Made it a rule: money talk means hang up and call back on a saved number
• Set the company rule: transfers are confirmed through a second channel

Check your understanding

Tap an answer to check yourself. Nothing is saved or sent.

Q1. Which of these do real police officers never do?

Tell you by phone that you are under investigationTake a consultation in person at a stationTake consultations on the #9110 line

See the answer

The National Police Agency states officers never announce an investigation by phone. The same applies to messaging apps, images of IDs or warrants, and sudden video calls.

Q2. The caller ID shows a real police headquarters number. How should you judge it?

It must be genuineCaller ID can be spoofed, so it proves nothingSearch the number online first

See the answer

Police have published cases where real headquarters numbers were spoofed. Hang up and consult a station in person or call #9110.

Q3. What actually protects against a family member's "send money" call?

Memorizing how their voice soundsA code word, plus hanging up and calling back on a saved numberSwitching to a video call to check the face

See the answer

Voices and faces can both be reproduced by AI. Verify with a code word and a call back to a number you already have.

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